Pan's Labyrinth (R)

December 29, 2006|By GLENN WHIPP, L.A. DAILY NEWS.

Who's in it: Sergi Lopez, Ivana Baquero, Adriana Gil, Doug Jones

What it's about: In 1944 Spain, 12-year-old Ofelia (Baquero, left) tries to deal with her mean stepfather Capt. Vidal (Lopez) by escaping to a fantasy world where she meets an untrustworthy faun (Jones), who gives her three tasks to complete.

Worth watching? (star)(star)(star)(star)

"[Director Guillermo] del Toro introduces a host of creatures and situations straight from fairy tales and children's literature, all of which are filtered through his own keen sense of magic and horror. ... It's dark poetry set to startling images, a one-of-a-kind nightmare that has a soaring, spiritual center. It's not to be missed."